How to Protect Your Home During a Winter Furnace Outage

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Over the winter, Yuma residents can sympathize from afar for those facing subzero temperatures and rolling blackouts in the rest of the country, but the fact is, such temperatures are not likely to occur here. At the coldest, temperatures might dip below freezing. That doesn’t mean we can’t experience rolling blackouts, however, so it’s always wise to know what to do should they occur, as officials shift power in the grid to keep the coldest places warm. Furthermore, always plan ahead in case you have a furnace outage.

It’s certainly possible the power could go out and you might have no source of heating, just as can happen in the summer when the power goes out and we’re without air conditioning. It’s possible that when there’s a furnace outage, your pipes could freeze (although this is more common in places where the thermostat dips to 20 degrees outside).

It’s also possible your furnace can break down on its own, and you may experience a delay in getting service personnel to come to your home and fix it.

Whatever the cause of a furnace outage, here are some ways to address it:

  1. Install a surge protector for your HVAC system or for your whole house. These surge protectors will ensure that during brownouts, blackouts, or lightning strikes, your HVAC system won’t be damaged by a power surge.
  2. Install a phase monitor to ensure that the HVAC can withstand changes in voltage.
  3. When the power goes off, turn the HVAC unit off at the thermostat so that when the power returns, the unit won’t turn back on and be exposed to a power surge.
  4. When the power returns, always check the circuit breaker to see if it needs resetting.
  5. If you’re concerned about power surges damaging your HVAC system or other electronics or about going without power during winter or summer outages, have a generator installed. A portable generator will also work.
  6. If you’re concerned about freezing pipes, cover outdoor faucets in cold weather; turn indoor faucets on so they drip.

For more on a furnace outage, contact Hansberger Refrigeration and Electric Company.